#roadtrauma — Public Fediverse posts

Crashes at Lavenders Bridge, North Bellingen

* Just a short time ago two women were killed and another seriously injured after a motorist 'lost control' near the notorious Lavender Bridge and smashed into two cars parked at the riverside swimming spot. >>
https://coffscoast.newsofthearea.com.au/a-woman-has-tragically-died-in-a-crash-at-bellingen-on-thursday-afternoon

* Today there was another serious incident involving two e-bikes. An ambulance was seen at the crash zone. An injured person was seen lying on the ground. (The ambulance is visible on the Kombu Flood Camera at 2026-05-24 11.26 ) >>
https://kombuwholefoods.com.au/floodcam/

* The long road to a bike-friendly Australia >>
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/116626357349183983

* In the design of the new 'Lavenders Bridge Replacement' bikes and foot traffic do not seem to be a feature. A lot of bitumen was smeared over the river banks to facilitate the convenience for cars (parking).

Image: North Bellingen, Lavender Bridge Black Spot by design

#MobilityDesign #LavendersBridge #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #BellingenShire #accidents #crash #pedestrians

The long road to a bike-friendly Australia
and the dehumanisation of cyclists

* "At the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably decades away. What’s taking so long?

"NSW wants to double active transport trips in 20 years...But at the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably another 50 years away, experts speaking to The Fifth Estate warned. Progress is slow. (One bike bridge was recently installed in Melbourne after 37 years of lobbying and discussion.)"

"A 2024 report by The Australia Institute points out that less than 1 per cent of federal road funding goes to active transport infrastructure."

"Richter was one of 49 bike riders who died on Australian roads last year, up on the average of around 38 deaths per year between 2012-23. (Thousands more were hospitalised with serious injuries during that period.)." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-24/active-transport-cycling-bikes-cities-safety/106710436

* Dehumanization of cyclists predicts self-reported aggressive behaviour toward them: A pilot study >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847818308593?dgcid=author

#MobilityDesign #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #Australia

IMAGE: Children on scooters on a 'normal' Bellingen bitumen streetscape lacking a footpath or a cycle path. Nothing is protecting the flesh and blood from metal and steel.

Biodiversity under the wheels

Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and other wildlife are forced to dwell in fragmented spaces having to cross many roads to go about their life. Mobility design is primarily for combustion machines to fly along their supply chains. The mobility needs of the un-motorised is not taken care of with the existing infrastructure.

"Tens of thousands of collisions with animals are recorded each year across Australia and the number appears to be rising. According to NRMA Insurance claims data, there was a 21% rise in animal collision claims from 2024-2025."

"Many large animals, including kangaroos, are most active at dusk and night, often moving to feed along roadside vegetation. Insurance data shows collisions are concentrated on regional and rural roads, where higher speeds, limited lighting and greater exposure to wildlife increase risk." >>
https://theconversation.com/crashes-involving-animals-spike-in-winter-heres-how-to-avoid-them-281531
#biodiversity #wildlife #MobilityDesign #vehicles #roads #speed #RoadTrauma #kangaroos #wallabies #koalas #wombats #birds #crashes

Pacific Highway has the most dangerous drivers in NSW >>
https://nambuccavalley.newsofthearea.com.au/pacific-highway-has-the-most-dangerous-drivers-in-nsw

#cars #motorists #CoffsHarbour #PacificHighway #NSW #roads #RoadTrauma

Image: Pacific Highway, No road is ever wide enough

Bullbars
"Three people killed, two injured in crash involving car and truck. Both had to be cut from the wreckage before being flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-25/three-passengers-die-as-car-and-truck-crash-in-adelaide-hills/106493522

Why are these giant bull bars (roo bars) allowed ? They often push pedestrians, wildlife and small cars out of the way and crush them.

#car #trucks #bullbars #armouring #safety #ZeroSafety #machines #bodies #roads #RoadTrauma

Mobility design for all

The cost of doing b̶u̶s̶i̶n̶e̶s̶s̶/ transport should factor in wildlife bridges /corridors at reasonable intervals. When they can construct 40,000-vehicle-a-day conveyor belts through wildlife ecosystems, then they could ensure mobility for koalas, gliders, swamp wallabies and wombats too.
Elsewhere motorways are being retrofitted to allow animals to move safely between fragmented sections of bushland. >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-22/cawleys-bridge-wildlife-crossing-retrofit/106365756

Coffs Harbour bypass >>
https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/projects/coffs-harbour-bypass
#biodiversity #wildlife #mobility #WildlifeBridges #MobilityDesign #roads #highways #CODB #cars #PacificHighway #RoadTrauma #CoffsHarbour

Tolerating the crushing of pedestrians, cyclists and wildlife with bull bars

" Bull bars are rigid or semi-rigid metal or composite frames mounted to the front of a vehicle.

Pedestrian deaths just reached an 18-year high. Bull bars are part of the problem
In 2025, 197 pedestrians were killed on Australian roads, the highest number since 2007. Almost every state recorded a noticeable spike in pedestrian deaths compared to last year.

Cyclist deaths also climbed to 49, up 32% from last year – the highest since 2013.
One key reason appears to be the growing size and weight of vehicles, which can increase the risk of death and injury.

Evidence shows bull bars can significantly increase the severity of pedestrian injuries, even in low-speed urban crashes.

Bull bars are not banned in Australian cities. Instead, they are regulated through design standards that are weaker than European pedestrian-protection rules. "
>>
https://theconversation.com/pedestrian-deaths-just-reached-an-18-year-high-bull-bars-are-part-of-the-problem-273362
#cars #SUVs #crashes #MobilityDesign #regulation #speeding #pedestrians #cyclists #wildlife #RoadTrauma #Bullbars #RooBars #VehicleRamming #HostileVehicleMitigation

Life After Cars
The harms of car culture

"Heralded as a world-changing invention, automobiles promised a dream of freedom and independence. Instead, they’ve delivered pollution, noise, expense, sprawling isolated cities, climate catastrophe, and hundreds of thousands of deaths per year."
>>
https://visionzerovancouver.ca/2025/08/01/life-after-cars/

Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves From the Tyranny of the Automobile (book)
"Instead of unbounded freedom, the never-ending proliferation of automobiles has delivered a host of costs, among them the demolition of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to make way for car infrastructure; an epidemic of violent death; countless hours lost in traffic; isolation from our fellow human beings; and the ongoing destruction of the natural world."
>>
https://www.lifeaftercars.com/
#cars #vehicles #EVs #roads #pollution #RoadTrauma #MassMortalities #violence #climate #FossilFuels #sprawl #destruction #harm #biodiversity #book